Organic foods are so expensive... Really? I don't think so...

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. I received product and/or compensation in exchange for the possibility of a review. However, the opinions expressed here are my own.
 

 

It was a simple enough meal. But, oh, was it delicious! 

Let's start with some organic wheat angel hair pasta boiling away in one pot while a jar of Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce is simmering in another. Meanwhile, slices of sour dough bread are being slathered with organic butter and sprinkled with Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Garlic Powder. Add an organic spring mix salad with a balsamic dressing and dinner is served!

That's what it was like in my house a few nights ago. The smell was amazing and the taste phenomenal! I can't even begin to tell you how good the pasta sauce was. The ingredients (certified organic by Quality Assurance International) include:

 

• organic tomato puree
• organic tomatoes
• organic basil
• salt
• organic onions
• organic soybean oil
• organic sugar
• organic garlic powder
• organic oregano
• organic garlic

Oh.my.goodness. Seriously. This tomato sauce reminded me of my childhood somehow. Maybe it was because it was made of ingredients like those of old -- unmodified -- and there was no excess junk in there. I admit that I normally doctor jarred pasta sauces. I add onions, cheese, and/or spices. Not this time and I'm so glad I didn't. 

As a diabetic, I have to watch eating things like spaghetti, because of both the carbs in the pasta and the sugars in the sauces. The Wild Oats Marketplace sauce only had 4g of sugar in a 1/2 cup serving; only 8g total carbs and 2g dietary fiber. Not bad. Add in wheat pasta, and I did okay. Oh, and substituting sour dough bread instead of Italian bread was a healthier option as well, since sour dough bread is low on the glycemic index.

The bottom line was that I was immediately sold on the Wild Oats Marketplace brand. Dinner was that good.
 

Tonight, I made another meal using one of their products. The Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Long Grain & Wild Rice Blend is amazingly wonderful. I was halfway through my second helping when I decided to look at the carb content. Oops. Now this one was not diabetic-friendly with a whopping 41g of carbs in a 1/4 cup (dry) serving. Yikes! I thought as I scooped the rest of my second serving onto my husband's plate and then salivated as I watched him eat it. Oh my, was it good! 

The ingredients in this mixture are simply organic jasmine rice and organic precooked wild rice. You have to rinse it before cooking, which I found a bit inconvenient. After I ate, I was reading the back of the package and must admit, I found these words a bit troubling: "Rice is a natural agricultural product. Despite the use of modern cleaning equipment, it is not always possible to remove all foreign materials. Sort, remove foreign material and rinse before cooking." Really? Remove foreign material? Unfortunately, I missed that little paragraph before I cooked the rice and ate it. Oops. But seriously, have you ever seen anything like that on a package of rice before?

I must admit that it was probably the best rice I've ever eaten, and my husband agrees. If only I could get around that total carb issue...

Now, you're probably thinking these food items are expensive, right? Well, that's the fun part. For those of you who shop at Walmart, you can now buy the Wild Oats organic food items right in the store at affordable prices. For example, check out these prices:

Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Tomato Paste (6 oz) $0.58 
Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Chicken Broth (32 oz) $1.98 
Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Cinnamon Applesauce Cups (24 oz) $1.98 
Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Tomato Sauce (15 oz) $0.88 
Wild Oats Marketplace Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce (25 oz) $1.88

These are fantastic prices for food items that are safe for everyone in your family. No nasty GMOs or pesticides. No toxic preservatives. Just wholesome natural ingredients. And from what I've tasted, the food is absolutely delicious.

Wild Oats Markets was founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1987 and was a leading operator of natural and organic foods stores and farmers markets in North America. It grew to become the nation's second-largest natural and organic foods chain. 

They strictly adhere to USDA guidelines for organic certification and nearly 90% of what they sell is organic. They even sell ready-to-prepare skillet meals for all you busy moms and dads out there. And, again, the products are surprisingly affordable. The Wild Oats brand meets customer demand for more affordable organic foods. 

"By partnering with Walmart, Wild Oats is starting a movement that makes it easier than ever for customers to access affordable organic and natural products," said Tom Casey, CEO of Wild Oats. "Our availability at Walmart will allow us to finally pass along scalable savings directly to consumers. We are reinvigorating our brand by bringing great tasting Wild Oats products to more customers than ever before."

Walmart and Wild Oats are introducing nearly 100 products as part of the line, removing the price premium associated with organic groceries. 

So, like I said, if you are a Walmart shopper, this is one line you do not want to pass up. Take some home, try them, and let me know what you think. I'd love to hear your review!